Casper Creek close call

Avalanche

mountain.sam · Feb 26, 2021 · Duffey

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Observation photo 1

Quick report

Weather
cloudy, cold
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, openTrees
Riding Quality
amazing
Snow Conditions
powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSnow

Weather

Avg Temp
-7
Wind Speed
windSpeedLight
Blowing Snow
none
Sky Condition
scatteredClouds
Wind Direction
NW
New Snow24 Hours
20
Storm Start Date
2021-02-24
Storm Snow Amount
40
Temperature Trend
steady
Precipitation Type
none
Precipitation24 Hours
20

Snowpack

Obs Type
point
Site Aspect
NW
Test Fracture
resistant
Site Elevation
2000
Ski Penetration
25
Test Initiation
moderate
Foot Penetration
40
Test Failure Depth
50
Site Elevation Band
tln
Surface Conditions
newSnow
Test Failure Layer Crystal Types
stormSnow

Avalanche

Run Length
30
Slab Width
15
Trigger Type
skier
Wind Exposure
leeSlope
Avalanche Size
2
Slab Thickness
50
Trigger Sub Type
accidental
Start Zone Aspect
NW
Vegetation Cover
openSlope
Start Zone Incline
35
Avalanche Character
windSlab
Number Of Avalanches
1
Start Zone Elevation
2100
Weak Layer Burial Date
2021-02-24
Weak Layer Crystal Type
stormSnow
Start Zone Elevation Band
alp
Avalanche Occurrence Datetime
2021-02-26T20:30:00.000Z

Close call today. After skiing a TL run in the same area, same aspect and digging a profile and getting favourable results, we decided to venture higher into the alpine. I triggered the avalanche while i was transitioning. Luckily the trigger happened at my location and I slide down 4-5m with the debris before coming to stop after about 3 seconds. Also luckily, the avalanche did not propagate to where my partner was - we has spread out and he was about 60m away from me. Make no mistake, the size of the avalanche wasnt all that big, but this was a very close call - the terrain below me was certainly not very favourable and had I continued with the debris I may not be here writing this report. The alpine this winter, especially on the coast, is not to be trusted - irregular problems persist. We saw no signs of natural activity and there was very little slab cohesion today. I am lucky to ski another day, today. A grounding experience.